Provided is an apparatus and method for controlling a charge capacity balancing operation of a secondary battery cell. According to the present disclosure, the charge capacity balancing operation starts under the consideration of an environment condition suitable to perform the charge capacity balancing operation, so that sufficient time for the charge capacity balancing operation of the secondary battery cells may be ensured. Accordingly, this may reduce the possibility of the balancing operation being interrupted.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A balancing control apparatus that controls charge capacity balancing of at least two secondary battery cells included in a battery pack, the balancing control apparatus comprising: a global positioning system (GPS) module to output current geographical location data of the battery pack using a signal received from a GPS satellite; a real-time clock to store a present time; and a control unit, for when the current geographical location data of the battery pack received from the GPS module matches any one geographical location information among at least one preset geographical location information and a battery management system (BMS) managing and controlling the battery pack is in a sleep mode, a real-time clock is used to calculate a sleep mode duration of the BMS, and when the calculated duration is more than or equal to a preset reference period, outputs a control signal for a charge capacity balancing operation of the secondary battery cells included in the battery pack.
2. The balancing control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control signal outputted from the control unit is a signal for switching the BMS from a sleep mode to an awake mode.
3. The balancing control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control signal outputted from the control unit is a signal for controlling the apparatus for charge capacity balancing of the secondary battery cells.
4. The balancing control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit determines whether the geographical location data matches the geographical location information, by determining whether the geographical location data is included in a preset radius from the geographical location information.
5. The balancing control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the preset geographical location information is information inputted by a user of the battery pack through a user interface.
6. The balancing control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the preset geographical location information is location information associated with a place where the battery pack is charged.
7. The balancing control apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the control unit stores, as charging location data, the geographical location data received from the GPS module when the battery pack is charged, calculates a number of charge cycles for a same region in the stored charging location data, and sets, as the geographical location information, charging location data exceeding a preset number of charge cycles among the calculated number of charge cycles.
8. The balancing control apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the control unit stores, as charging location data, the geographical location data received from the GPS module when the battery pack is charged, calculates a charging ratio for a same region in the stored charging location data, and sets, as the geographical location information, charging location data exceeding a preset charging ratio among the calculated charging ratio.
9. The balancing control apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the control unit stores, as charging location data, the geographical location data received from the GPS module when the battery pack is charged, calculates a charging ratio for a same region in the stored charging location data, and sets, as the geographical location information, charging location data corresponding to a preset number of highest ratios among the calculated charging ratio.
10. The balancing control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit determines whether the current geographical location data of the battery pack received from the GPS module matches the at least one preset geographical location information or calculates the sleep mode duration of the BMS, when the control unit receives a charge capacity balancing request signal outputted from the BMS before the BMS has switched to the sleep mode.
11. The balancing control apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising: a memory unit to store the geographical location data, the preset geographical location information, and the preset reference period.
12. A battery management system comprising a balancing control apparatus according to claim 1 .
13. A battery pack comprising: a battery management system according to claim 12 ; and at least two secondary battery cells.
14. A balancing control method that controls charge capacity balancing of at least two secondary battery cells included in a battery pack, the balancing control method comprising: (a) determining whether current geographical location data of the battery pack received from a global positioning system (GPS) module matches any one geographical location information among at least one preset geographical location information; (b) determining whether a battery management system (BMS) managing and controlling the battery pack is in a sleep mode when the geographical location data matches the geographical location information; (c) calculating a sleep mode duration of the BMS when the BMS is in the sleep mode, and determining whether the calculated sleep mode duration of the BMS is more than or equal to a preset reference period; and (d) outputting a control signal for a charge capacity balancing operation of the secondary battery cells when the sleep mode duration of the BMS is more than or equal to the preset reference period.
15. The balancing control method according to claim 14 , wherein the control signal for the charge capacity balancing operation of the secondary battery cells is a signal for switching the BMS from a sleep mode to an awake mode.
16. The balancing control method according to claim 14 , wherein the control signal for the charge capacity balancing operation of the secondary battery cells is a signal for controlling an apparatus for charge capacity balancing of the secondary battery cells.
17. The balancing control method according to claim 14 , wherein the step (a) comprises determining whether the geographical location data is included in a preset radius from the geographical location information.
18. The balancing control method according to claim 14 , wherein the preset geographical location information is information inputted by a user of the battery pack through a user interface.
19. The balancing control method according to claim 14 , wherein the preset geographical location information is location information associated with a place where the battery pack is charged.
20. The balancing control method according to claim 14 , further comprising: storing, as charging location data, the geographical location data received from the GPS module when the battery pack is charged, calculating a number of charge cycles for a same region in the stored charging location data, and setting, as the geographical location information, charging location data exceeding a preset number of charge cycles among the calculated number of charge cycles.
21. The balancing control method according to claim 14 , further comprising: storing, as charging location data, the geographical location data received from the GPS module when the battery pack is charged, calculating a charging ratio for a same region in the stored charging location data, and setting, as the geographical location information, charging location data exceeding a preset charging ratio among the calculated charging ratio.
22. The balancing control method according to claim 14 , further comprising: storing, as charging location data, the geographical location data received from the GPS module when the battery pack is charged, calculating a charging ratio for a same region in the stored charging location data, and setting, as the geographical location information, charging location data corresponding to a preset number of highest ratios among the calculated charging ratio.
23. The balancing control method according to claim 14 , further comprising: determining whether a charge capacity balancing request signal outputted from the BMS is received before the BMS has switched to the sleep mode, wherein the step (a) or (b) is performed when the charge capacity balancing request signal is received.
24. The balancing control method according to claim 14 , further comprising: storing the geographical location data, the preset geographical location information, and the preset reference period.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
May 29, 2014
September 22, 2015
Browse 5M+ US patents with plain-English claim translations and AI-generated analysis.